Video Art Exhibit In Istanbul Looks To Replicate Success In The West

As “Moving Image Istanbul” enters its second edition, the video art fair is coming to the second floor of Kuleli Building of the Haliç Congress Center in the bustling metropolis of Turkey. It’s scheduled to be held September 4-6 and willrun alongside “Art International”. As the name suggests, “Moving Image Istanbul”is a film-centric art fair that already had runs in New York and London.The Istanbul edition was launched last year.

Some very interesting line-ups on view include BYOB, that is, “Bring Your own Beamer” at Pera Museum that is a one-night exhibition displaying the works of unrepresented, emerging Turkish film and video artists curated by Maybe Art Projects. Another highlight of the art fair is the screening of Ways of Something, a project by Lorna Mills, which will be presented by Transfer Gallery of Brooklyn, New York. It’s a remake of John Berger’s BBC documentary, Ways of Seeing (1972) but talks about the way of looking at art in the age of the Internet and digital media.

Also, “Moving Image Istanbul”recently announced the newly formed Curatorial Advisory Committee for the art fair consisting of four members. Celenk Bafra, who heads the curatorial department, is the curator of Istanbul Modern (Turkey), others include Vassilis Oikonomopoulos, assistant curator of Collections International Art, Tate Modern (London, UK), Reem Shadid, deputy director of Sharjah Art Foundation (Sharjah, UAE) and Agah Ugur, a collector from Istanbul.

Talking about the new committee, “Moving Image” co-founders Murat Orozobekov and Edward Winkleman said, “It is central to the mission of “Moving Image” that we continue to offer visitors as international a selection of experimental film and video artworks as possible. The members of the Istanbul 2015 Curatorial AdvisoryCommittee have unique insights and connections throughout the world, and we look forward to a successful global program they are working to assemble.”

“Art International”, which is also scheduled to start on September 4 and will run parallel to “Moving Image Istanbul,” was launched only two years ago in September 2013 at the Haliç Congress Center with the motive of bringing local and international galleries together to present modern and contemporary art essentially from Turkey, Europe, the US, and the Middle East. Acting as a gateway between the East and the West, the art fair posed a strong threat to the already leading art fair “Contemporary Istanbul”. The art fair successfully put forth the rich cultural history of Istanbul that looks to the local contemporary art scene.

Co-founded by Sandy Angus of Angus Montgomery,co-founder of ART HK and the Hong Kong International Art Fair, is a shareholder and director of “India Art Fair” as well as a founder of “Photo Shanghai”.“Art International” is a brain-child of experienced individuals in the world of international arts fairs. However, since it’s a new-born too, it has a long way to go in terms of attracting collectors and art aficionados.

The venue of this art fair, the Kuleli Building, seems to be carefully chosen and is an interesting spot to host an art fair because of its neo-classical architecture from the 1920s. Located within the Haliç Congress Center, it offers a jaw-dropping view of the Haliç (or “Golden Horn”) from its terrace foyer. And with “Art International” art fair going on in its main centre, the Kuleli Buildings is “an ideal oasis within bustling Istanbul for slowing down and experiencing an international cross-section of contemporary video art selected by the Moving Image Curatorial Advisory Committee,” says Winkleman.

-“Moving Image Istanbul” will be held from September 4-6 at Kuleli Building, second Floor, Haliç Congress Center, Sütlüce Mah. Karaagaç Cad. No.19 34445, Beyoglu, Istanbul, Turkey. For more information